Sanitary napkins have traditionally incorporated a central absorbent with a permeable body-facing side and a liquid resistant, undergarment-facing side. These napkins are typically secured to the inside crotch area of an undergarment with one or more pressure-sensitive adhesive strips.
More recently, sanitary napkins having side panels or flaps which laterally extend a short distance from the central absorbent and are intended to be folded about the outer crotch portion of the undergarment. See Glaug et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,701,178 and 5,217,448 which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference. The side-protecting flaps of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,178 are adhered to a release strip during packaging. These release strips, however, present a significant waste disposal problem, as well as contribute to a more expensive sanitary napkin.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,448 of Glaug et al. also relates to a sanitary napkin with side protecting flaps. This type of sanitary napkin does not employ a release strip, but rather includes release surfaces disposed on the undergarment-facing side of the sanitary napkin so that the adhesive elements on the undergarment-facing side of the napkin can be secured thereto.
Still, a need exists for absorbent products that can be conveniently packaged for selective use and convenient disposal. There is also a need to provide packaging which minimizes disposal problems associated with release paper which normally cover adhesive elements of sanitary napkins.